It is small business week in Canada. And that’s kind of a big deal. Small businesses make up 98 percent of all companies in Canada. They are the backbone of the Canadian economy. But, when it comes to the Internet, many small Canadian business are leaving money on the table.Here are the facts: More than 80% of Canadians are online. About 1 in 5 Canadian searches on Google are seeking out local information, including nearby businesses and services. And small businesses and entrepreneurs who understand the enormous opportunity of going online report overall sales growth of up to 30% year over year. But, the reality is that many Canadian business have yet to harness this potential.So, to mark this important week, we’ve assembled some quick tips for businesses looking to grow their businesses online:

Take advantage of free offerings. For retailers with physical locations, find yourself on Google Maps, and claim your location. Consumers are increasingly searching while they are on the go so make sure they know when they are near your business!

Take a closer look at the pages visitors land on. Remember, YOU don't choose the landing page of your website. When people search, the engine finds the most relevant page on your site and THAT's the homepage. If you have 1000 pages on your website, you have 1000 homepages. You can see in analytics reports where people are landing most frequently, and which pages are failing to drive traffic.

Figure out what people really think. Online tools like Google Analytics can measure what engages consumers on your website and how they respond to special offers on your site. With unprecedented knowledge of behaviour and trends, advertisers and marketers can use web analytics data to optimise the path from search to sale, reach new audiences and improve on their spend.

Consider all the options. How do your customers interact with your brand and your store? Have you considered mobile advertising? Start with mobile search – the number one activity of smartphone owners. Smaller screen, bigger buttons -- look into customising your website for mobile.

There are plenty of other resources out there, but hope that’s a good start! We want to make sure the Internet is working for you, because Canada is ready to do business online.Posted by Wendy Bairos, Google Canada